The Buccaneers are now 13-11 overall and 6-7 in the region, while Angelina fell to 10-11 overall and 6-6 in region play.
“Angelina is a really good team and they’re playing really hard … they had gone 6-2 in their past eight games,” Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. “So, I give our guys credit. Our thing was we had to be the harder playing team tonight — I don’t know if we were, but we played hard enough to win. I just really thought our guys played well.”
Blinn’s win was made possible by a strong offensive night, which saw four Buccaneers finish with double-digit scoring totals. Sophomore wing Calvin Carpenter led Blinn with 23 points and played an instrumental role in the Buccaneers’ decisive second-half run.
Blinn led 34-29 at the half, but after the Roadrunners pulled within 38-35, the Bucs ripped off a 12-2 move fueled by seven points from Carpenter. Freshman center Alex Tsynkevich added a dunk during the surge and freshman guard Maurice Pinnock knocked down a 3-pointer as Blinn jumped ahead 50-37 with about 15 minutes to go.
“Everything started with us being tough,” Carpenter said. “Coach Schumacher told us at the beginning of the game that the toughest team was going to win, and I felt like everybody stepped up tonight as soon as they stepped on the court. There was no fear.”
(Pictured right: Blinn College’s Tyler Washington)
Angelina attempted to rally late in the second half and cut Blinn’s lead to seven points three times in the final minutes, but Carpenter tallied five points in the final 1:39 of play, and Tsynkevich and freshman forward Tyler Washington added free throws to put the game on ice.
“We came out ready to play,” Washington said. “We prepared for this game over a four-day stretch … we practiced, we watched film, we went over plays that Angelina runs, and we adjusted to it. We came out and shot the ball well, we rebounded well, we executed well and we just wanted it more.”
Washington finished with 17 points, including four 3-pointers, Tsynkevich added 12, and sophomore wing Connor Raines finished with 10.
Blinn continues its season with a region clash at Victoria College at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
